The Festival has helped to launch many generations of creatives.  Previous winners have included Viktor & Rolf, Felipe Oliveira Baptista and Julien Dossena. Sometimes, the success can come very quickly: after taking home the Première Vision Grand Prize in 2018, Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh, the duo behind the Botter brand, were appointed creative directors at Nina Ricci. Likewise, Anthony Vaccarello was hired by Saint Laurent in 2006, only a few weeks after triumphing in Hyères.

This year, the ten finalists showed at Hangar de la Mouture, a remote location just outside Hyères itself. The jury, presided over by Natacha Ramsay-Levi, creative director of Chloé, awarded the main prize to Austrian designer Christoph Rumpf, a student at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. Besides a grant of 20,000 euros from Première Vision, he receives 10,000 euros plus royalties for creating some pieces for French brand Petit Bateau. He also wins the opportunity to present his collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Berlin, and to work with Chanel’s Métiers d’art on a project.

Rumpf’s sculptural menswear silhouettes, made from repurposed fabrics such as antique Persian rugs, tell the story of a little boy who lives entirely on his own in the jungle until he finds out he is a lost prince. Although a fairy tale, it was inspired by the designer’s real-life experiences – he grew up in the countryside and moved to the city at the age of seventeen. “It is about struggling through life, first in the jungle to survive and to protect himself from nature, and later to have responsibilities and adjust to a lifestyle he is not used to,” he explained. “But it is not a tragic story, it is about shining through struggle.”

Each one of Rumpf’s oversized looks played a part in the narrative. The carpet look symbolises protection, while a trench coat made from car seat foam uses non-functional decorative elements to express the idea that the prince is living a fake life.

Photo: Daniela Benaim Benhamu